Foes
by SolemnSerpent
Summary: A crippled Hunter is captured for psychological/behavioral study. Possible friendship later on. A collaboration between myself and T-Virus Rose
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: This is a fanfic written at the request of Lanny-Sama, one of my steadfast reviewers, who also helped me get over my writer's block. I may or may not continue this, so reviews would be a wonderful addition to my life. Thanks for reading!~**

**~x~**

**Prologue- The Capture**

It was a beautiful day when I stepped outside of the cargo truck. The sun was shining without a cloud in the sky, and there was a gentle, warm breeze, but I felt neither warm nor happy. Everything was soaking in a sort of lethargic energy, which was both a blessing and a curse. Though everything appeared peaceful on the outskirts of a rural town in Florida. It was early spring, right before the heavy, damp heat of summer. It felt like the calm before the storm. I could hear the faint moans of the infected from where I was, and some other noises besides. I was on the abandoned highway, cleared of vehicles thanks to a Tank and my own military escort. Everyone was wearing protective gear and carrying weapons, with the exception of myself. I was dressed in bloodstained clothing with a bodysuit underneath, with nothing more than a radio and a vial in my left hand. I was nervous, and my hands were trembling. It had only been one month after the Green Flu had spread across the United States, and already CEDA was researching a cure for the flu, brutally experimenting on live test subjects without anyone keeping an eye on them. I was a part of CEDA. Five months ago, I had finally finished graduate school, with the whole thing paid for by CEDA in exchange for my work. I had worked for them as the outbreak started, watching all the patients psychologically degrade into raving animals. It was my forte, psychology and animal behavior. CEDA had assured my safety after the outbreak, and had transported me to their huge base of operations. And now here I was, on my first military run to capture specimens. I had never participated in the capturing of infected before, and so I was nervous. We would be catching common infected today, and perhaps a special infected if Lady Fortune smiled upon us. The special infected would fight to the death, and the half-panicking soldiers gunned many down before the capture teams could go in. But that was not all. The scientists in the chemistry lab had cooked something up from leftover boomer bile and who knew what else. I stared down at the brown-green liquid in the vial, and shivered.

According to scientists, the common infected and special infected identified 'normal' humans using their sense of smell and the ability to read heat signatures. The bodysuit I was wearing would disguise my body temperature, and the vial in my hand would make me smell like an infected. I knew that I was dispensable, because my department had not had any special infected for testing. Every scientist at CEDA worked for one reason: to get results, and hope to impress the higher-ups. Impressing the higher-ups meant food, water, protection, and the guarantee that one would be safe from the other scientists. Every week there was a meeting for showing the results. The higher-ups were not impressed by my progress with the leftover common infected taken from other labs. And so here I was, testing out a product that had no guarantee of working. There was a small camera strapped to my arm that would record everything and sent a live feedback to the lab. The radio was only to be used as a last measure. The CEDA military was there to protect the capture team, who would be working while I tested the contents of the vial and the new bodysuit.

_'Ma'am, it is time. Please proceed with the experiment.'_

I glared at the captain who had spoken, and broke open the vial. Instantly I could smell something sickly and disgusting, like rotting meat and sickness. It was horrible, and the other soldiers backed off as I grimaced and started to rub the vile stuff all over me. Some of them even turned away and retched. I gave all of them a cold smile, putting on a brave face despite the trembles that wracked my body. It would be a five-minute walk to enter the town, so I set a brisk pace, hopping over the concrete wall that separated the freeway from the grassy slope leading down to the town. My first encounter with an infected was simple. I slowed my pace to a slow, shambling walk, but made no noise. The infected shambled by, both of its eyes milky white orbs and his tongue lolling out of his mouth. We brushed shoulders, but it merely grunted at the contact and kept moving. The thing had once been male. Maybe it was once a teenager, or a college student, but now it was just another mindless monster. I felt nothing but a mild interest while observing the creature. I had been the witness of too many cruel experiments in that CEDA facility, and now I could not help but be cruel myself. These things… now I could only see them as test material. My body was numb; I shook a little as my stomach clenched, but turned aside the thought of retching. Such a noise would attract unwanted attention, especially since I didn't know if the infected _could _throw up. Judging by the Spitter, I'd say so, but then again the Spitter was a special infected. Did any of the common infected have specially protected organs designed to contain and spit up a noxious green acidic enzyme that would tear away at human flesh? As far as my observations went, this was not the case.

It felt odd, to simply walk into the infected town like I was merely taking a stroll through downtown. Large abandoned buildings loomed overhead on either side, all of them in some state of neglect and disrepair. I could feel eyes peering out from the dark and broken windows, and I repressed another shudder as I heard the wheezing and coughing of a Smoker. It was perched on the roof of a post office, its long, dark purple tongue trailing from its mouth. But it was relaxed, blankly staring at empty space as I passed underneath it. There was a horde of infected milling around, randomly bumping into trashcans and cars on the street as they mindlessly wandered. I mingled with the infected, barely keeping it together. Though I viewed them as test material, it was alarming to see them up close, away from the safety protocols of the stainless steel lab I was provided with. As I followed the horde through the abandoned town, I kept an eye for special infected. It was better to observe them in their 'natural' state, rather than behind bars. I heard the mad giggle of a Jockey as it moved through the second story of a building nearby, and the sobs of a Witch in one of the dark alleyways. Even with the scent and the suit, I didn't dare go near the sounds. The other infected gave the Witch a wide berth, and so would I. I picked my way through the crowd as the horde entered the downtown area, trying to avoid any contact with special infected. Keeping up a pretense around the common infected was one thing, but the special infected moved with a malicious intelligence. Would they be able to see through my disguise? I didn't know, but I'd be happy to find out in the considerate safety of my lab.

I was entering the domestic part of the town, with brightly painted houses all in neat, ordered rows. The houses here were little different from the buildings in the downtown areas. In some places the walls were visibly cracked, and with some houses the walls were gone completely. The whole place looked like it had been ransacked by Chargers, and I shuddered at the thought. Those half-armored infected would be instant death. No disguise would save me from having my innards crushed into a pulp by being bludgeoned to death. I kept following the horde, wondering what else I needed to do. I had proven that the combination of suit and scent would disguise me from infected, provided that I played the part. The CEDA team that had accompanied me would start catching the infected soon, and then clear out most of the infected before heading back to the base. And then my work would be cut out. Sighing, I turned around, half stumbling away from the horde, pushing aside a few infected as I did so. The way seemed clear back to the CEDA military, and so I pushed forward, picking up my pace a little bit, barely distinguishable from the other 'common' infected. I was glad the military was on orders not to fire into the horde, or else I would be mowed down like the hundreds of other zombies. I stared at the black-clad military in the distance, a feeling of relief welling up in my chest. I didn't want to be in close proximity with the common infected any longer than I had to.

And then the _thing _stepped out of the shadows of the alleyway, a lumbering giant of a monster. A Spitter stepped onto the street, its luminous green acid dripping from what remained of its mouth. Its pale, whitish eyes settled upon me, and I adopted a slack-jawed expression, but my stomach heaved and my breakfast of ham and coffee ended up on the pavement in a sickening brown-red mess. At my actions, several other commons heaved up their meals as well, splattering the street and other infected with vomit. The smell was disgusting, and I felt queasy as my stomach heaved again. This time only yellowish bile came out, since my breakfast was already gone. This done, I straightened up and resembled the blank expression and started to shamble away, avoiding eye contact with the Spitter. I could feel its eyes upon me, and then it moved past me, half hunched over and still trailing the acidic spit from its face. I stepped in the noxious acid, trying to hide a wince as the stuff bubbled up, splashing my shins with green goo. The other commons ignored it, simply wading through the small puddles of the stuff, unaffected by it. I made a mental note to ask the chemistry majors on how the spit worked; it had no effect whatsoever on the common infected, even though it burned me. Luckily, the spit was in a low enough dose that I would only receive minor burns from it. Still, it was hard not to shriek with pain as the stuff fizzled on my shins, leaving red marks wherever it touched. I hobbled my way up the hill again, ignoring the other infected as I concentrated on staying in character, tears forming in my eyes as the spit finally faded away. I finally reached the military, which lowered their guns after a minute or two of silent tension.

_'Bile Camouflage, Trial Test 1 has been successful._' I said, and I heard a small beep as the camera attached to my bodysuit was turned off. I nodded at the military, and the captain pointed towards the capture teams. The medic rushed towards me with disinfectant and gauze and sat me down on the freeway to attend to my burns. I shivered as the burns throbbed painfully when the disinfectant was applied and the gauze wrapped around my shins. I remained in the bile-covered, bloody bodysuit, seeing how I had not been provided clothes to change into. I desperately needed a shower, and a hefty amount of soap, hand-sanitizer, and shampoo. A shriek rang through the air, and I looked up to see the teams going to work, throwing large nets over infected and dragging the limp bodies back as the net electrocuted the infected, frying their movement systems. But what caught my attention was a hooded figure leaping from building to building, letting out ear-splitting shrieks as it did so. I heard the crack of a gun, and the thing fell from around fifty feet, barely pulling off the ending as it crashed into the lower portions of the grassy hill off the freeway. It was a Hunter! I hadn't seen it in my excursion, but the things could remain stealthy and silent, displaying a level of intelligence equivalent to humans. The thing struggled to its feet, only to collapse again. The Hunter was injured! Out of all the infected, the Hunter was the hardest to catch with the exception of a Boomer and a Tank. I could definitely rise above some departments with this capture! I signaled to the captain of the CEDA unit, and pointed towards the Hunter. _'That specimen seems to be injured, Captain. I want it captured immediately and brought to my lab after decontamination. I want to conduct tests on that Hunter.'_ I said, my voice firm and brooking no argument. The captain saluted, and then directed the capture unit over to the unmoving special infected. For a second, I thought the Hunter was dead. No, it was alive, for when the unit threw the electric net over the thing it shrieked in agony and then became limp again. I was ecstatic as the thing was carried towards the transportation vehicle. I had finally caught a special infected!


	2. CEDA

**Author's Note: Gasp! Two updates in one day? Well, I was inspired by the reviews I got from all those lovely users. You know who you are! And also, I would like to announce something. The lovely T-Virus Rose, author of 'The Sound of Madness', will be collaborating with me in this fanfiction in the upcoming chapters! I'm so excited, and I hope you are as well!**

**~x~**

I could barely contain my excitement as the transport vehicle headed back to base. I had insisted on inspecting the Hunter's condition after the capture, and I was pleased. By some accident in the past the Hunter's left leg had been crippled permanently, ensuring that this infected specimen would remain in my grasp. I was sitting in the passenger's seat of the transport vehicle, but I couldn't help but crane my neck every few minutes and glance back at the unconscious figure in the cargo hold, lying prone in a cage. I frowned at the thought. The cage would have to go; I needed to observe a Hunter in its natural environment, after all!

How would it react, being placed in a controlled biosphere where the prey was plentiful and there were no humans to hunt? CEDA had really gone above and beyond the call of duty, repairing a biosphere that had been a part of a university study. Too bad that crops wouldn't grow in the thing, since the biosphere was programmed to simulate the environment of a mountain forest. None of the technicians were capable of reprogramming it, or removing all the trees and soil and animal life, so it would be the perfect area to see how the Hunter acted. And of course I would be observing through the cameras, as CEDA had already denied me the access to the building in the center of the biosphere. That was a drawback I had not expected. Apparently I was still worth enough to the higher-ups that they wouldn't let me risk my life living with a crippled Hunter. _I'll have to find a way to make qualitative observations about the behavior. Cameras aren't that reliable._

I opened my eyes to the captain shaking me lightly. Groaning lightly, I realized that I must've fallen asleep in the vehicle. "Apologies, Captain. The test of the Bile Camouflage must've taken more out of me than I realized." I said, unbuckling my seat belt and sitting up. The older man smiled at me briefly before he replied. "Don't worry about that, ma'am. Managing to remain calm when Spitter acid is all over your legs is no easy thing to do." He muttered, keeping his voice low. The lighting was dim outside of the vehicle. We appeared to be in some sort of garage, probably underground. I knew then that we were back at base. The journey to that town was around five hours, so I had slept for around five hours. _I REALLY must be tired. I better go lie down before my meeting._ Massaging my forehead, I stepped out of the car, casting a glance at the cargo hold. The infected inside were screaming loudly, but the Hunter was still silent. _Must still be unconscious._ I turned away from the truck, sighing loudly. "Send the Hunter to my lab as soon as you unload the subjects. You can send the other infected to the other labs." I said, and the captain nodded and walked off. I walked across the garage; full of other cargo trucks similar to the one I had fallen asleep in. On the other side of the garage was a small elevator, which I entered quickly. I pressed the button for my lab's level, which would be the second to the top floor. I needed to lie down for an hour or two before I could give my report to the higher-ups and request for the Hunter to be housed in the biosphere. The elevator rose in silence, thankfully continuing straight to my floor without any stops. It was probably around noon, and most likely everyone was hard at work either patrolling or laboring in the labs. I sighed loudly, glad that no one was around to hear it.

I really needed to sleep. The burns on my legs were throbbing painfully, and my head ached from exhaustion that I had not felt this morning. I stumbled out of the doors as the elevator came to a halt and the doors opened. There was a long, brightly lit hallway with around six doors, three on either side. There was a seventh door on the opposing wall, which led to the hub of the laboratories. This was where every scientist gave their report every week, in a large room with holocommunicator prototypes, which operated using radio waves. I took the first door on the left, which led to my lab. The room was extremely large, even larger than a hotel suite. Stainless steel lab tables took up three quarters of the space and equipment, as well as empty cages for test subjects, while on the other quarter was the living quarters, separated by a foldable bulletproof glass wall in case of a test subject escaping. Since I was an specialist in animal behavior and psychology, my lab was filled with the cages, as well as observation equipment and several storage tanks filled with food and water intended for the experiments. There were also quite a few recording devices placed around the lab area as well. Presently, all of the cages were empty, but I still unfolded the glass screen and locked it into place, creating a dividing wall between any potential visitors and me. The living quarters were fairly simple: a bed with a pillow and a gray blanket, a sink, a stove, a stacked can of supplies (replenished every week), water bottles, and a small niche with a curtain for a toilet and a shower. My clothes were neatly folded in a suitcase, and there was always a fresh supply of lab coats.

I removed the disgustingly filthy bodysuit and threw it in a laundry basket before heading towards the shower. The water was freezing, but it felt wonderful as I took the bar of soap from a basket on the toilet and started to scrub all the blood and bile off of my body. I could still smell the hideous stench of the infected on me. I grabbed the bottle of shampoo and started to furiously wash my hair, hoping to get the stench of the infection out. It smelled like corpses left to rot in the heat for far too long, and it made me sick. I hadn't noticed it much before; I had been far too busy observing the infected and being concerned for my life. Once the smell of the infected had been drowned out by the floral shampoo I stepped out of the shower, shivering, and stopped in front of the small mirror mounted over the toilet. I started to run a comb through my chestnut-colored hair, wincing as I worked out the tangles quickly. Once that was done I changed into a spare pair of black yoga pants and a t-shirt, and then neatly laid out my lab coat and ID. _Thank the heavens the lab coats can button up to the chin or else everyone would look insane from the sparseness of our clothes_. With that last amusing thought remaining, I collapsed onto the bed and pulled the gray blanket over me, allowing my eyes to close. For a few minutes I wondered about the Hunter. _I can't just keep calling it 'the Hunter'… from the sounds, I'm pretty sure the infected is male. I should give it- no, him a name. Just for reference, of course. Hmm… Cedric would be a good name. Yes, Cedric._ And with that decided, I drifted off into sleep.


End file.
